The tech industry is ‘relieved’ that Bulgaria’s nominee for European Commissioner will oversee digital policies, filling a gap left open for four months after Günther Oettinger transferred to the budget post, comments EurActiv.

A boost in data usage from the use of voice calling apps may mean the long-running debate into their regulation in India may turn out to be a “non-issue”, a source at the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) told The Economic Times.

EU member states have rejected a European Commission proposal to extend licences for wireless radio spectrum to last at least 25 years – one of the cornerstones of the EU executive’s new attempt to overhaul telecoms law, reports Euractiv.

Germany’s regulator, Bundesnetzagentur, has published rules for the cross-border marketing of mobile numbers which will further facilitate the global sale of machine-to-machine (M2M) applications. “We're encouraging a future market. Connected cars and smart home applications can now be even better marketed worldwide.

US tech giants are back in Europe’s spotlight, reports the Financial Times. Facebook and Google are both in the headlines over sanctions from European authorities, with Google kicking off its fight against a €2.4bn EU fine for abusing its market dominant position by lodging a formal appeal at Luxembourg’s general court...

The US House Energy and Commerce Committee has unanimously passed the Self Drive Act, which makes it easier for NHTSA (the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, an arm of the federal Department of Transportation) to regulate what a self-driving car will look like...

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has unveiled a plan that would give internet providers broad powers to determine what websites and online services their customers can see and use, and at what cost, reports the Washington Post.

Arcep, the French regulator, has launched a reporting platform that allows anyone to report any malfunction encountered in their relationship with their ISP, fixed or mobile telecoms operator, mail or parcel postal operator.

Thailand needs to upgrade the National Broadcasting and Telecom Commission (NBTC) to focus more on coordinating various elements of the digital economy and society, says Rajnesh Singh, director for Asia-Pacific of the Internet Society, as the Nation reports.

The Brookings Financial and Digital Inclusion Project (FDIP) report for 2017 evaluates access to and usage of affordable financial services by underserved people across 26 geographically, politically and economically diverse countries.

Denmark’s telecoms regulator, the Danish Business Authority (Erhvervsstyrelsen), has published two documents outlining the framework for competition in the broadband market, with the new decisions set to enter into force on 17 November 2017, notes TeleGeography.

Mexico’s 2013 telecom reform has brought benefits, spurring competition that has increased access and brought down mobile internet costs from among the highest in advanced economies to among the lowest, according to the OECD Telecommunication and Broadcasting Review of Mexico 2017.

The Swiss Federal Council has adopted a partial revision of the Telecommunications Act (TCA), and the draft legislation will now be dealt with by parliament. The revision covers broadband services that are replacing traditional telecoms services and gives greater weight to consumer concerns,...